Raise your virtual hand if you remember looking forward to a Friday night trip to your local Blockbuster store. Who doesn’t have fond memories of scouring the new releases, sneaking a peek at the back cover of the R-rated movie you were too young to see but so desperately wanted to watch, and begging your parents to buy a packet of microwave popcorn and Junior Mints. Maybe you’ve even had the distinct pleasure of working in one. Thanks to digital media’s tyrannical takeover, video store outings are but a fleeting memory in minds now occupied by Tumblr dashboards overloaded with Netflix Instant Movies That Don’t Suck and clever web apps helping to build better queues. With the exception of a few cult shops in hipster film centers, the video store is officially a thing of the past. Click through to check out our roundup of the abandoned stores that are a new brand of ruin porn popping up in Flickr streams everywhere. As all facets of our lives move online, what real world experiences do you miss? What do we need to make sure to hold on to?
Blockbuster Video – New Orleans, Louisiana
Image credit: Alex Gaidouk
Miracle Video – Houston, Texas
Image credit: meltedplastic
Viral Video – Keansburg, New Jersey
Image credit: Tattooed Steve
Movie Scene – Hayes, Virginia
Image credit: RetailbyRyan95
Blockbuster Video – Poquoson, Virginia
Image credit: RetailbyRyan95
Blockbuster Video – Adelaide, Australia
Image credit: Ryan Smith
Rent-A-Flick – Dittmer, Missouri
Image credit: Wampa=One
Blockbuster Video – Hudson, Florida
Image credit: Daniel Oines
Movie Scene – Gloucester, Virginia
Image credit: RetailByRyan95
Movie Scene – Newport News, Virginia
Image credit: RetailByRyan95
Blockbuster Video – Newport News, Virgina
Image credit: RetailByRyan95
Video Zone – Robbinsville, NC
Image credit: Jacob Krejci
Video Store – Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Image credit: Randy Fox
Video World – Calgary, Canada
Image credit: Brian Dixon
The Movie Store – Austin, Texas
Image credit: Ryan Fennell